007 Stunt Driver Loves The Aston Martin DB5 And Is Sorry About What Happened To The Land Rover

Ben Collins, once Top Gear’s test driver and now Skyfall’s action
man, describes life on a 007 set.

Skyfall: it's dark and cold. We are working nights somewhere in
East London under stark moonlight, which does little to take the
edge off. I'm with the James Bond stunt crew, probably the best
team of daredevils in the world, with the rare privilege of
taking on the ballistic driving sequences for which Daniel Craig
is literally uninsurable. Over the next five months we will
circle the globe from the highways of Shanghai to the Scottish
Highlands and the gritty streets of Istanbul.

The first shot is a pickup of Bond spiriting M away in his 1964
Aston Martin DB5. I swallow hard as my eyes absorb the metallic
grey torpedo sitting in Bond's oil-stained lockup. Director Sam
Mendes and Daniel lean against the garage wall in deep discussion
while staring longingly at the machine.

After introductions I get the brief: a sharp pullaway, speed down
the alley then a hard right underneath the railway crossing.

I loosen Bond's custom-made pinstripe suit and ease into the
leather aboard the very expensive DB5 from Goldfinger.
Gadgets abound, notably the red button located inside the gear
knob, which I'm not brave enough to press – is it the ejector
seat or machines guns?

Gary Powell, the stunt coordinator, inspects the camera positions
before crouching out of shot. Sam grasps the radio: "Action!". It
feels like sacrilege, but I rev the nuts off the ageing
six-cylinder engine and dump the clutch. Tyres squeal in protest
and we rocket into the alley. The brick wall fills the windscreen
until I swing the boat-like wooden wheel to the right and the
suspension gracefully leans to make the turn.

For the next shot it's pitch black and the Aston's lights throw
only a hazy glow on the road. Naturally I'd prefer not to reshape
the DB5 in front of the director, but it's a Bond movie, so you
go large or go home.

I make it to third gear, the brakes sing, I snatch second and we
skid into the black abyss of the archway. The wheelspin echoes
around the walls as the DB5 leaps the speed humps and we exit
frame. I love this car.

Next stop is Adana, Turkey. For three months this will be home
and we sink into a six-day working week.

On set the special-effects team peels the covers off a Land Rover
Defender with a pod system mounted on to the roof so that I can
drive it while the actors ride below. All the functions of
steering, changing gear, braking and accelerating are diverted
upstairs so that I can operate the vehicle without being seen by
the camera. All that weight on the roof makes the pod top-heavy
so we prove the system won't roll over by exploring its limits.

Eve, played by Naomie Harris, is the character driving the Land
Rover. Her first scene involves her racing through Istanbul to
keep up with Bond. The ensuing carnage results in a truck
flipping directly into her path. The truck and the Defender have
to navigate through traffic at precise speeds in order to meet at
their impact point. Arrive too early and the camera misses the
shot. Arrive too late and… crunch. We have about six Land Rovers
and backup trucks spare.

Using a stopwatch we measure the runs and set out fixed start
points. On "Action!" the hill springs to life as stunt
pedestrians meander up the pavement and the vehicles gun their
engines. The Defender snakes through the traffic. Moments later,
the red cab of the truck looms over the bridge just as our
vehicle squeezes into position alongside.

The truck rams its target and rolls, casting a shadow over the
passing Defender. The truck slams into the deck and spews its
cargo. Gary eyes the camera feed and comments, "It doesn't get
any closer than that."

Daniel commands the Bond character with aplomb in
Skyfall, increasingly at ease with the wild scenarios
thrown his way. When the shades come off, his cool reserve
brightens as he climbs aboard the Defender for the motoring
equivalent of the Cresta Run: a vertical cobbled lane in the
downtrodden district of Belat. Here Eve is in hot pursuit of
Patrice (Ola Rapace) in his Audi A5. There are twists and turns,
stuff blowing up, cars getting in the way and to keep up with the
Audi my foot is welded to the throttle stop.

To help me react to their acting cues, I can hear Daniel and
Naomi through my earpiece. They know this, so prior to launch
Daniel's humming the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tune to
wind me up.

On action the Audi shoots off and I'm grateful for the
modifications made to enhance the Land Rover's engine. The rough
cobbles shake the hydraulic steering, affecting the wheel
alignment. I chase the wheel to compensate.

We quickly reach the bottom for a sharp corner, a big compression
and a sudden stop. It's our first hard run and there's silence
downstairs, broken by some chuckling from Daniel. You can hear
the adrenalin in Naomi's voice: "Ohe_SLps mye_SLps God." Sam
simply says, "Good one, we don't need it any faster."

Bond has certainly changed since my favourite, A View to a
Kill, but arguably the stunts are as memorable and iconic as
ever. Especially when you know they are performed for real.
Combining them with uber-performances from Daniel and the
star-studded cast should make Skyfall a classic.